Display device.



A. VANDERVELD;

DISPLAY DEVICE.

APPLICATION HLED FEB. 10. 1912.

Patented Oct. 19, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

A. VANDERVELD.

DISPLAY DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10. I912.

Patented 001111915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

vention has for aiins l ANTHONY VANIJEBVELD, 01F GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO GRAND RAPIDS SHGW CASE COMPANY, 0F GRALND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, A CQRPOB-ATIDN OF MICHIGAN.

v DIEPLAY DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Got. 19, iliiild.

Application filed February 10,1912. Serial N 0. 676,704

vat Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented an. Inn provement in Display Devices, of whichthe following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specifica tion, like letters on the drawings represent ing like parts.

The invention to be hereinafter described relates to store display devices for exhibiting goods, more particularly to such devices wherein a rotatable rack is employed for supporting the goods to be displ yed, and it is movable to and from a position within the ease, or cabinet. in devices of this go" eral character, the reel; usually comprises a plurality of parallel supporting rods on which the goods are hung, as for instance,

ready-made garments, and these supporting @uch injury is also liable to occur should the rack be retated when away n its outer position.

' 'nt in- 1 purposes, to vice who when the provide a display d be caused to autoiiuz. i ZBIBlLQ'Bd relation w that. should the r Other purpos vention wili following d drawings of one i ing the invention being understood i restricted. to the uteri ind described details, butthat in i no scope, it is deficly set iorth by L143 claimsv In the accompany drawings:-liigure 1 is an. end view or a display device en) bodying one form oi the nrcsent invention. Fig. 2 is a detail enla view showing one form of means to automatically act upon the rack to cause rotative movement of the same in positioning the rack for bodily movement into the case or cabinet. F 3 is an enlarged elevation of the rack and its l ct. it invention is not supporting devices, some of the parts being broken away.

The case orcabinet with reference to which the rack is movable to and from an inner position, is shown by Fig. l as comprising any usual or suitable form of inclosing' structure that illustrated preferably comprising a base 1 and glass panels 2 at the sides and back, with doors 3, likewise provided with. a glass panel to close the front of the case when the rack is in inner or rear position.

The rack for supporting the goods may be of any usual or desired form and may be so mount-ed with respect to the case as to enable the rack to be moved to and from a position within the case, substantially as indicated by full and dotted lines in Fig. 1.

In the present form of the invention, the

case or cabinet is provided with a floor 4 below which are suitable trackways 5 on which ride the rollers 6 of a rack supporting carriage. This carriage may be of any usual or desired structure, and as shown has a colunin Y rising therefrom, which, at its upper portion provides a bearing '8 for a rotary shaft or upright 9. The lower end of the shaft 9 is preferably reduced in diameter as at 10 and passes through the arm 11 of a bracket 12 secured by bolts 13 to suitable flanges or brackets l i mounted on or formed as part of the column 7, the construction be ing such hat the shaft or upright 9 may freely rotate upon its supporting carriage.

While the details of the described structure form convenient mechanical device for supporting and rotating a rack, it is to be understood that the invention is not re stricted to these particular devices, but that rack, as hereinafter pointed out, may

be otherwise conveniently supported for rotative movement.

rho snalt or upright 9 extends upward through the bearing portion 8 of the col-- db. .1r umn l and 1s bUllllOllIloQ y a co a1. 0 which may be secured to rotate with the shaft or upright 9 by any suitable means, such as the set screw 16 in Fig. 3. Pro ecting ironi the collar are thespider arm's 1'7 provided wlth end supporting portions 18 for the bars 19 which form the supporting rods or rack on which the garments or goods are hung.

PIOjQOlJlIlg from the collar 15 are the arms or short shorts 20, preferably carrying suit- I able rollers 21 adapted to ride upon the upupper extremities meeting at the points 24,

at the front and rear of the flange 22, the construction being such that if the rack be turned fro-mthe position indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3 and then be released,

- rack the'inclines 23 will afford a. gravity slide on which the rollers 21 will ride and cause the to assume the position as indicated by full lines in Fig. 3. In other words, when the rack is in the position indicated by full lines in Fig. 3, the bars '19 are in their predetermined position to permit the rack and carriage to be moved into the case without causing injury thereto, andif, when the rack is in its outer position, it be partially turned and thenreleased, the gravity action of the rack and its connected parts, acting through the rollers 21 and the inclined surfaces 23 which constitite a cam will cause the rack to automatically turn into the predetermined position, will position which will permit it to be bodily moved into the case without danger of the .The upper surface of the flange22 is preferably also provided with roller sions 25, o ne at each side ofthe flange 22, such depressions being adapted to receive the rollers 21 when the rack has been automatically rotated into the desired predetermined position as hereinbefore indicated.

"While the present form of the invention has been described in connection with a gravity acting means for automatically rotating the rack into'the desired predetermined position such that it will not injure the case when moved bodily into the case, it is tobe understood that it is not necessarily restrictedthereto, but that applicant believes himself the first to provide any means which will automatically-cause the rack to be rotated to a predetermined position when, the rack being away from inner position,'it is partially turned and then freed from the hand of the operator, so that the rack may be then moved bodily into the case,

- without injury to the latter. hen the rack is thus automatically turned to the desired predetermined position for the purposes noted, it is desirable that it be locked from further rotative movement as it is moved into the case or cabinet; and as one form of means to this end, applicant has provided devices which, when the rack has thus been automatically rotated to the predetermined position and is pushed toward its inner so act as to cause the rack to be locked from rotative movement. To

receiving depre"-- these ends, the lower portion 26 of the shaft or upright 9 is provided with two diametrically disposed lock-openings 2i Flg.

3, either of which is adapted to be engaged by the hooked upper end 28 of a lock lever 29 pivoted at 30 to a lug 31 projecting upward from the bracket or crossbar 32. A spring 33 having one end connected to the lock lever 29 and the other to the bracket 12, serves normally to cause such engage- -ment when the rack is rotated to its predetermined position as before explained and lever 29 is free to move.

From the construction described, it will be noted that when the upper end 23 of the lock lever 29 engages one of the recesses 27 in the shaft or upright 9, the latter is prevented from rising, the result being that the rack is prevented from rotative movement because the rollers 21 secured to the rack cannot, under such conditions, ride from the recesses 25 in the flange 22 or up the inclined surfaces 23. \Vh'en the rack is moved to its outer position, however,'it is desirable that the rack be substantially free to rotative movement, and to this end the lock lever 29 has an extended lower portion 34. provided with a cam end 35, Fig. 3, adapted. to contact with a pin 36 secured near the bottom of the case or cabinet, the construction being such that as the rack is moved to its outer position the cam portion 35 will engage the pin 36 and turn the lock lever 29 into substan tially the dotted line position partially indicated by Fig. 3, thereby freeing the rack to rotative movement. When the rack is thus free to rotative movement and has: been turned partially around so that the rack will injure the case or cabinet if then moved toward its inner position, it is equally desirable that such inward movement of the rack be prevented, and to this endthe arm 34 of the lock lever 29 has a recessed portion 37,.Fig. 3 which. when the lock lever has been disengaged from the shaft or upright 9 by engagement 0f its cam portion 35 with the pin 36, is seated upon or about a pin 38. On partial rotation of the rack at such time, even if the rack be slightly moved inward, the hook end 23 of the lock lever 29 will be prevented from moving inward by engagement with the unrcccsscd portion 35) on the lower part of the shaft or upright 9, the construction being such that the rack cannot at such time be moved bodily toward its inner position. Let it be assumed that the rack has been moved to its outer position and that the pin 36 acting upon the cam portion 35 of the lock lever has disengaged the hook end 28 from the recess 27. At such time the lock lever assumes the position indicated by dotted line, Fig. 3. and the rack is free to be rotated. If at such time. it be partially rotated and then released, it will. through the gravity inclines 23 and coacting lOt when predeoi the ages the blank loci; lev r which then on ad portion at upright 9, win

v1e sh prevent such bodil 1' i lent of the reel; into the case by en aceincnt oil its recessed portion 3? with the pin 55. When the rack is turned in order to display the goods on all sides there of, the re 21 ride upward on the inclines Q3 and the shaft or upri '9 likewise rises, the parts taking the pos cated by dintcd lines in Fig; and when the 1?; cl; is tu ned azltoriatically into the desired prcdeteri 'ned positron the parts the relation sjiicated by fall lines in Fig 3, at which. to the hook portion 28 of the loci; lever 29 is so positioned with respect to one of the recesses fi as to lee-movable into look ing engagement therewith upon movement of the 1 toward its inner position.

i noted that Where the inclines 23 each side portion of the flange 22 meet, at points 515*, they present a sharp edge 35} o if re at on which the rollers will readily stand, so that should the rack be rotated w en in its outer position to bring the roller ll abstantiol.ly above the portions 2%, the ors will automatically ride to one side or other of thes portions 2% upon slight ibance of the rack to automatically po ition the reel; in j n'ci'leterniined reh the clone changes may be made the mechanism described. ope oi the present invent features oi? the inthe claims may be used one displav device, stance, the automatic I feature which causes e rack ically assume its reiiletermined the rack parallel to the rack turned from said posil I eyed in a disi, may v8 e root the lo; and unlockv. lined is? combination with a cabins" i rec-l; movable into and o c. i .aneans for automatically 3 the reel; into a predetermined position relato the cabinet when rotated a partial n and released.

5 tion With the cabinet and released to autoio partially indi rack rcciprooatin is standard inonn; ingthe rack and gra vi cally righting the .i position relatively to t cabinet o en ro tated a partial revolution in. its out-ward pon and released ln a display device the conil'iination oil case or cabir et, a rack iii ble to enc rem a position within the cabinet, said rec-l: being freely rotatable W nn in outer position and grzwity in for automatically rotatii'ig the rack into a predet rmined position with case or cabinet when the rack is partially rotated and rclcasec.

5. In a display device the combination of a case or cabinet carriage movable to and from position Within the case or cabinet, a flange mounted on the carriage having its upper surfaces I'GVElSBlY inclined toward each side thereof, a revolnble rack mounted on the carriage and adapted to be rotated when the carriage is in its outer position, supportii'ig devices for engaging the rack and adapted to travel. upon the inclined SUP faces of the flange and acting, automatically to rotate the rack into a predetermined position with relation to the case or cabinet when the rack is partially rotated in its outer position and released.

6. lln a display device the combination of a case or cabinet, :1. revolnble rack movable to and from a position Within the cabinet, means for automatically righting the rack into predetermined position relatively to the cabinet when rotated a partial revolution in its outer position and means for locking the rack in said predetermined position when the raclr. is moved inward of the case or cabinet.

'3'. in a display tlQVlCfithe combination of a case or cabinet a carric go movable to and from a position Within e case or cabinet and having stand-: l rising therefrom, a, flange surmounting said standard and he .ing inclined upper edges (1 iding from the front and rear of said tlang in a downward direction toward the siocs thereof, and rota-- table rack mounted for rotative movement in said standard and having supporting protions adapted. to ride upon the inclined :rfaces of the flange to automatically right I r 4 into predetermined position Pele-- tive y so the case or cabinet when it is rotated a partial revolution in its outer posh tion and released 8. in a display device combination of case r cabinet, a carriage movable to and from a position Within the case or cabinet, a rotatable rack mounted on said carriage, means betweei'i the carria e and rack for causing the latter to more vertically when rotated from apredetermined position with relation to the case and acting automatically to return the rack to said predeterminedposition when rotated a partial revolution at the front of the case or'cabinet and released.

9. In a display device, the combination of a case or cabinet, a carriage movable to and from a position within the case or cabinet,

a rotatable rack mounted on'said carriage,

means between the carriage and rack for causing the latter to moveyertically when rotated from a predetermined position with relation to the case, acting automatically to return the rack to said predetermined position when rotated a partial revolution at the front of the case or cabinet and means to prevent such vertical movement of the rack when it is being movedto and from its position within the case or cabinet.

10. In a display device, the combination of a case or cabinet, a rotatable rack movable to and from a position within said case or cabinet, and means for automatically righting the rack into a predetermined position when partially rotated from said position and released, said means comprising a cam member and a device acting against said cam member.

11. In a display device, the combination of a case r cabinet, a rotatable raclrmov cam member on one of said parts having semicircular cam surfaces, and bearing members on the other of said parts and cooperating with said surfaces to automatically restore the rack to its normal position when it has been revolved out of such position and released.

13. lhe combination with a display cabinet, a carriage guided to move transversely in the bottom thereof and a stop for limiting its outward movement, of a display rack mounted on the carriage and revoluble in a horizontal plane, cooperating cam and bearing members arranged one on the carriage and the other on the rack and serving to cause the rack to automatically turn into a predetermined position in respect to the cabinet, and coiperating to permit the rack to be rotated only upon the application of a force greater than that required to cause the carriage to traverse its guide.

14. In a display device, the combination of a case or cabinet, a rack movable to and from a position within the case or cabinet and horizontally rotatable when in front position, means for automatically righting the rack into parallel relation with the case or cabinet when said rack is partially rotated in front position and released, said means including a cam and a bearing member moved bysaid cam as the rack is rotated, and means acting upon the bearing member to prevent movement of the bearing member by said cam whenthe rack is being moved toward its inner position.

ln testimony whereof, 'Ihave signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANTHONY VANDERVELD.

Witnesses:

LYLE J. Roan, R. W. AVERILL. 

